9 April, 2019

New centre to help Aboriginal women overcome drug and alcohol addiction

The New South Wales Aboriginal Land Council (NSWALC) has welcomed the Federal Government’s funding of $9 million to establish a dedicated women’s drug and alcohol rehabilitation centre at The Glen on the New South Wales Central Coast.

NSWALC Chairperson, Cr Roy Ah-See said the new women’s centre would complement the successful work The Glen has carried out with men for the past 25 years.

“The Glen has a demonstrated track record of success by tackling the causes of addiction and empowering men to take control of their lives,” Cr Ah-See said.

“It’s fantastic that this work will now be extended to helping Aboriginal women from the Central Coast, Newcastle, the Hunter Valley and Greater Sydney.”

Cr Ah-See said the need for the centre was acute considering the steep increase in Aboriginal women being incarcerated in NSW. According to the NSW Bureau of Crime Statistics Research, the numbers of Aboriginal women in prison increased by 75 percent between 2011 and 2017.

“There are direct links between alcohol and drug misuse, poor health outcomes and incarceration,” Cr Ah-See said.

“Now The Glen will be able to help more Aboriginal women reclaim their lives and more Aboriginal families stay together.”

Cr Ah See said the new centre was the culmination of hard work by many people including the Ngaimpe Aboriginal Corporation, the Aboriginal community of the Central Coast and Federal Member for Robertson, Lucy Wicks.

“This new centre will undoubtedly save lives. Congratulations to all those people who worked hard to secure the funding to establish it,” Cr Ah-See said.